The SS Izanami
by reithedragonboy
Summary: Kidnapped and sent to an unknown location, a group of people must work together in order to find any hopes of escaping. However, they must first survive this "game" their kidnapper has them playing, one where death awaits those who fail to meet all the requirements. Just who exactly is their kidnapper, and why is he forcing them to partake in the workings of his twisted mind?


Hello everybody! How have you all been doing? Sorry for not having posted any new stories or updates to my ongoing stories for a couple of months. Life has pretty much caught up with me, and I've been forced to significantly slow my pace with writing fan fiction. Between summer classes and my summer job, I'm barely able to keep myself afloat with good grades.

Of course, don't interpret this as me saying that I'm giving up with my stories on here. It'll most likely take a while, but I will pick them up sometime in the future. Perhaps when summer is over is when I'll have a bit more free time for writing. Until then, this story is going to have to do since it was basically created in an attempt to give me a change of pace from work and school.

For those who might have failed to see the inspiration behind this new story, it came from the Persona series. And as for which game I'm planning on borrowing the characters, I chose Persona 4. I mean, the characters there sound more real and easy to relate to. In all honesty, that is my most favorite game that I've ever played in my entire life. Not only does it have a good story line; it deals with topics that your average teenager might possibly go through. I'm sure that whoever played that game has at least one character they can relate to in terms of hidden and repressed feelings.

Too bad they rated it M here in North America. Sure it has a couple of suggestive themes and heavy cursing, but what older teenager hasn't already seen or heard of those things in today's society? Now I'm not going so far as to say that this is an educational game or does not brush on topics usually ignored by the video game industry for fear of backlash; what I'm saying is that it raises some level of awareness as to what today's teenagers go through. Persona is a very popular series, so for them to put these rather sensitive topics into the game lends credence that it's not only for entertainment purposes when they go overboard with the shadow alter-egos; they are also trying to showcase problems that teenagers might not be willing to talk about to others or admit to themselves. At least the Japanese rating system for this game was better in that they posted it as a +16 game. Seriously, this is a game that's good for the older teenagers. America needs to work on creating a revised rating system; T ratings are quite broad from 13 to 19 after all.

But yeah, that's enough about my rant on Persona 4. Trust me; you know I like something if I'm this passionate about it. I'll go ahead and leave you all alone to read this new story. Just one little thing before I shut up; I also decided to combine another element from another game that I like. It's probably going to be a bit vague if even at all noticeable, but I'll mention it at the end and see if any of you know what the other game I'm modeling this on is from.

Please don't forget to leave a review before you move onto the next story that you want to read. Especially with new stories, they are very helpful in that I can see how you as the reader are enjoying the chapters. Constructive criticism is nice, or even just an acknowledgement of how you like it is also just as fine. Until the next update on this or any one of my other stories everybody!

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**Chapter 1: Troubles Upon Awakening**

"…Hmm, my head…!" a teenager groaned as he slowly awoke from his sleep. With his eyes barely opened, he slowly got up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed while pulling his t-shirt down over his stomach that had become exposed during the night. Apparently, he was knocked out the moment he hit the bed that he failed to pull the blankets over him. "Why's it hurting so much…? Oh yeah, finals ended yesterday and I managed to survive through it. I guess doing all that last-minute cramming managed to tire me out more than I thought. Hope there's still some medicine in the bathroom."

With a sigh that sounded more like a hybrid between a growl and a whine, he slowly stood up and nearly fell back onto the bed. Once he regained his balance, he carefully made his way towards the door. His mind barely registered the fact that he still had his white sneakers on, his feet making light squeaking sounds as they shuffled lazily against the polished wooden floor. The metal chain that hung on the side of his grayish-brown pants bounced against his thigh as he walked the short distance.

"…You got to be kidding me!" he grumbled once he reached the door and jiggled the handle. Unfortunately, it was stuck tight and refused to budge. He even tried throwing his weight a bit against it a couple of times, but it only resulted in him having a sore shoulder. "This door's getting on my nerves. I just had it fixed a couple weeks ago! It's going to get stuck one of these days when I can't afford to be royally screwed over by this. Sucks that my parents are always out on business instead of at home. Guess I better call the repairman out here again if I plan on getting out of… Huh?"

When he dug his hands into his pockets, all he felt were his wallet and some loose bits of change. He always had his cell phone on or near him whenever he slept, so he figured it fell out onto the bed. Knowing he was not going anywhere without phoning the outside world, he let out an annoyed groan while making his way back to the bed. However, that was when his mind registered something odd with the room.

After thinking on it for a couple of seconds, he finally realized that the bedroom was not his! It was way too neat and completely devoid of posters he had pinned on the walls depicting his favorite band and video game characters. Even his prized guitar that he always left clean and tucked neatly away in a corner was not there. It was almost as if somebody had completely tore the room apart and rebuilt it to their standards. Even the furniture had been changed and now appeared archaic in design.

"Wh-what the hell is this place?_!_ There's no way in hell this is my room; we don't even have a room that looks like this in my house! How did I manage to get here? Is that why the door won't open? Did whoever brought me here locked it so I can't leave? I better figure out where my phone went fast and get somebody to help me out of here!"

Before he even had a chance to begin his urgent search, he suddenly heard the familiar sound of an intercom garbling to life. Snapping his head towards the top of the doorway, he saw a weathered speaker box mounted to the wall.

"Well, it looks like everybody's finally decided to wake from their wonderful nap," a voice replied in a condescending tone. It was heavily processed but still seemed to hold the slightest hints of the true owner behind it being a male. "I'll be the first to admit I was starting to get kind of bored just watching you guys do nothing but sleep. Oh well, I guess I better get the show on the road before I literally die of boredom."

"Wh-who the hell are you?_!_" the teen exclaimed, looking around wildly for any signs of a camera within the room. "Are you the one who brought me here? You better let me out before I break out and kick your sorry ass!"

"Ugh, not even a minute into what I wanted to say and you're all already proving to be an annoying bunch!" the voice growled, his voice making it clear that he was also rolling his eyes. "Ever heard of speaking one at a time so that your questions can be better answered? Because you're all being so obnoxious, I'm turning off the microphones in your rooms for the rest of this discussion so I won't have to hear your shouts. Whatever you wanted to ask will have to wait until I initiate our next discussion. And to think that I was going to be nice enough to answer if you just acted in an orderly fashion.

"Still, I suppose I'll grant you some amount of mercy and let you in on one little secret. You're bound to figure it out in a few minutes, so might as well learn of it now while I still have your undivided attention. I'm sure that some of you have already noticed this from the way I've been speaking; for those of you who haven't, don't think for a moment that any of you are alone in this place. While you've all been contained in separate rooms, there are others out there who are in the same position as you. That's all I'm going to say, but feel relieved for now that you do have like-minded people lying in wait for you later on.

"Of course, you'll only have the chance to meet them provided that you're able to perform well enough so as to live until the first meeting I have planned for you all," the voice chuckled dryly. "You see, I brought all of you here because there is a game I want you to play. Perform well enough and you'll be able to leave this place. And don't worry about being first; this is a game where there can be more than one official winner.

However, that's all I'll say on the subject as of now. All of you must first pass the initiation test before you can start the main event. Only after you have managed to pass the prelude will you be able to see what's truly in store for you."

"_What's this crazy guy going on about?_" the teen wondered, his face morphing into a snarl upon learning of his predicament. "_He definitely has more than a few loose screws if he thinks kidnapping us is just some kind of game! He's so getting his ass kicked once I get out of here and figure out where he is!_"

"I notice that some of you seem genuinely confused; others just seem plain steamed. You don't know how entertaining it is to see one of you thinking you're some kind of superhero and trying to break down the door. Nothing short of complete satisfaction of the prelude challenge's requirements will make that door open. And since you're all not sure as to what's going on, I'll go ahead and tell you what you're to do. Search your respective rooms and seek out the key that will open the door. Find it and you'll be free to leave the confines of your room. It couldn't be any simpler than that!

"Still, even the simplest of tasks can prove to be difficult depending on the person performing it. I truly wonder just how many of you have the mental competency to escape the confines of your room. I can already see some of you failing, but the world is always full of surprises and unexpected results. Perhaps those of you who look competent enough might not have the composure to complete the task within the allotted time. Either way, I know that I'll have lots of fun watching you all fight for your lives!

"Oh, allow me to impart to you all one little detail concerning this game before I forget," the voice warned in a tone dripping heavily with sarcastic concern. "Choosing not to participate isn't one of your very few options. All challenges that you play a part in shall be timed; failure to complete the task or simply choosing to do nothing will end in your unfortunate death. I'm sure none of you would want that, so promise me to give it your all and provide me with an A-list show! Perform well enough and everything should go rather _swimmingly_ for you. Hope you all live to see what the next challenge has in store!"

"Hey, I'm not going to be taking part in this sick game of yours!" the teen exclaimed but was greeted only with silence. "…Damn, he was serious about not listening to what we have to say. Nice of him to just leave me hanging in the dark. At least it's good to know that there are other people in the same situation as me, although it probably isn't that great in the long run. Just what the hell does the idiot have in mind for us?"

Before his mind could further contemplate the thought, a loud cracking sound caught his attention. Turning his body towards the source of the sound, he noticed a circular window on the far wall with a jagged diagonal crack running across it. Leaking out from a few places was some water that splattered onto the wooden floor.

_Wh-what the…?_ he wondered as he unconsciously approached the leaking window and placed his hand under the steady flow of water. _Is this place…somewhere underwater? Don't tell me that the time it takes for the glass to break from the water pressure is this guy's sick idea of putting me on a timer!_

Almost as if in answer to his question, the crack suddenly grew larger and spewed out more water at a faster pace. Taking this as his cue to start moving, he began to quickly tear the room apart for any signs of a key that would unlock the room's door. He could care less where exactly he was looking or how thoroughly he was doing it; panic had already set in and was quickly growing into an unmanageable level.

After going through a panic-induced search that lasted for a few minutes, he failed to find anything that had any remote resemblance to a key. All he accomplished was wasting precious time as the entire floor was now covered in a thin sheen of water. The crack in the window had thankfully yet to grow any bigger in size, but he knew that it was only a matter of time before it broke from the water pressure.

"Alright, I need to take a breather and relax a bit," he coached himself in an attempt to clear his head. His eyes scanned the room that had literally been turned upside-down due to his adrenaline search. "Running around in a panic isn't really helping! If whoever that guy from earlier is was telling the truth, then he should've hidden a key to the door somewhere in here. Now I just need to figure out where it is and I'll be home free. I'll be damned if I let a maniac like him get the better of me!"

Now searching the room in a more rational manner, he noticed that there was a cabinet that was left unopened. He knew he opened everything in sight during his stupor, so there was no reason that this should be closed. Trying to open it again, he then realized it was locked with a keyhole under one of the knobs.

"Why does everything in this stupid room need a stupid key before it can be opened?" he whined as he threw his hands in the air in frustration. "If this is the guy's attempt at making sure I drown in this room, then he's doing a good job at making it happen! Now where the hell did he hide the key for this?"

With his level of panic slowly going on the rise again, he began thoroughly searching the room for a third time. However, he was starting to feel that the whole situation was hopeless. He was sure that he checked every possible spot in the room and failed to find anything that resembled a key. It would have definitely helped if he knew just what the cabinet key looked like so he would not be acting like some headless chicken.

"Damn it; that stupid key isn't in here! I seriously don't have time to keep searching the whole room over and over again! If this is his idea of simple, then I hate to see what else he has in store for us. At this rate, I'm going to be drowned when that window finally gives way! What did I do to deserve this?"

Biting his lip to keep himself from crying, he all but plopped onto the bed and rubbed his fingers through his brown hair in frustration. The window still seemed to be holding up against the pressure, but it was only a matter of time before the glass's integrity would finally gave way. All he could do was stare at the water still flowing out and slowly rising while letting his mind wander to random thoughts.

"How did I ever manage to get myself into this mess? I just finished taking my finals and just started getting ready to move onto my last year of high school! I should be celebrating by myself at home like I usually do, not stuck in some random place and being forced to fight for my life! What's a loner who has an affinity for guys got to do to make sure he gets to make it in this world without being put through something like this? Oh, what I wouldn't do to listen to my special soundtrack that's hiding under my mattress at home once more…!

"…The mattress!_!_!" he suddenly exclaimed as he quickly stood up as if something just bit his butt. With a renewed sense of hope, he picked the mattress up and propped it against the wall. In the now exposed space, he noticed that there were a few small things in it. To his relief, there was an old-fashioned key resting amongst them.

"Oh, praise whatever gods are out there who're looking after me during all this hell!" he exclaimed before picking up the key and taking it over to the cabinet where he immediately tried it out. Much to his surprise and relief, it actually unlocked and was now open for him to freely search through.

Inside the cabinet were three items with one of them being another key that would surely serve as his ticket out of here. While the other two were not of any real importance, they did cause the teen to stare at them before picking them up.

"Why are these in here?" he wondered as he clipped the simple MP3 player onto the collar of his shirt and hung the orange headset over the back of his neck. He then took a note that had been stuck onto one of the shelves and read it. "_For if you managed to solve the puzzle after time had run out. And if you manage to get the door opened beforehand, then consider this your consolation prize. Either way, I hope you'll enjoy listening to your music again!_ So this was his way of serving me either a farewell present or a congratulatory gift? What a sick mind he's got to be taking something I already own and making it into a gift. And as if I could care about something like this right now!"

Letting the note flutter down onto the soaked floor, the teen took the key and made a beeline for the door. Without wasting any time, he thrust the key into the lock and gave it a turn before hearing the sound of the tumblers unlocking. With a victory whoop, he quickly turned the doorknob and pulled at the door…only to realize that it was still locked.

"What the…?_!_" he mumbled in shock after trying to push the door and meeting the same results. "But he said that we needed to look for the key in order to get out! I already found it, so why isn't the damned thing opening?"

Before he could worry any more on the thought, the sound of the window pane cracking caught his attention. Turning around, he noticed the water coming in with more force and the crack now growing larger at a faster pace.

_Damn, I'm out of time!_ he thought as he witnessed the crack almost reaching the ends of the window. _That has to be the right key, so what did I do wrong?_!

"Thou art I, and I am thou…," a mysterious voice suddenly spoke. "Thou hast passed the test of perseverance and shalt now be bestowed upon a most wondrous power…"

"Wh-who said that?_!_" the teen exclaimed as he wildly looked around for the source of the voice. "Are you one of that maniac's goons?"

All of a sudden, everything around him seemed frozen in place. The sound of the water pouring into the room had ceased; he turned around and noticed that the steady flow had also frozen in place. Even when he walked along the sheen of water on the floor, it was like ice and did not make any ripples from the movement. As crazy as it was for him to consider, the only thing he could come up with was that time had somehow stopped.

"Thou hast completed the ritual and satisfied all the requirements…," the voice replied as writing suddenly appeared on the walls. They were all foreign to the teen, but even he noticed a couple of symbols that he saw in some of the manga he read that revolved around the concept of summoning and befriending demons. "As per the rules stated prior to the enactment of this ritual, my strength shalt now be yours to use as thou sees fit…"

In a split second, a blinding light filled the room and forced the teen to cover his eyes. Once it was over, all the writing had disappeared and time resumed its normal course. At first, he thought that he had simply dreamed the whole thing because of the stress of the situation. However, he then felt something appear in his hand.

Looking down at it, he saw that it was something that looked a lot like a playing card yet was completely different at the same time. It had an odd design on one side that consisted of a pair of black hands towards the bottom, a black ball of flame in the center, a pair of black eyes set just above it, and a black infinity symbol above it all like a halo. All of it stood in front of a background with a sapphire blue border and icy blue center.

"What is this?" he mumbled before turning the card around and seeing a phrase written on it. "The Magician? I don't remember ever finding anything like this. How and when did I ever get my hands on it?"

"From hence forth, the Arcana that thou has taken notice of shalt serve as proof of our contract…," the mysterious voice explained. "Keep it on thy person at all times if thou hopes to survive the coming dangers… As described by the rules created prior to the start of the ritual, this shalt be the only means of completing your journey to salvation… To signify the honoring of this deal, you are now free to leave this room whenever you so desire… And if thou ever has the need during thy journey for my aid, look deep into thy soul and call upon my name… I shalt be praying for your success…"

Before the teen could have the chance to ask the voice what it was talking about, a loud shattering sound echoed throughout the room. Turning towards the window, he noticed that it was broken and allowed the water to come in at full force.

"Damn, I'll figure this out later!" he growled as he put the card into his pants pocket. Now running on instinct, he tried to open the door once more and this time saw that it worked. However, what greeted him on the other side was a dimly lit corridor which also happened to be filled with water.

_Are you kidding me?_ he wondered as the water from both the window and the corridor quickly filled the room. The force was starting to build up and making it harder for the teen to keep the door open. _There better be a way to get away from all this water! It'll be so wrong if I escaped this room just to head into another trap._

With nothing more than a silent prayer passing through his mind; he made his way out into the hallway and escaped his imprisonment, all the while hoping to find both a dry area and one of the people the kidnapper had made mention of earlier.

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Well, I hope you liked the first chapter of this story. I decided to try something a bit new and throw you all into the action right from the starting gate. I really tried to get all the potential slow bits out early before going right into the fast pace portions.

And for those of you who didn't noticed, I purposefully left out the fact as to who the character portrayed in this chapter is. However, I did leave certain context clues from the beginning to end as to who he was. The part about the white sneakers and guitar might have been a bit vague, but I'm sure the appearance of the Magician Arcana served as a dead giveaway. And for those of you who never played Persona 4 before, I'll let you wait to figure it out in the next chapter. Either that or you can just wikipedia it for a quick answer.

And the other game that I decided to take elements from for this story is the 999 series! For those of you who don't know, look up Virtue's Last Reward and look for the game that preceded that. That's the game I am borrowing some elements from. And for those of you who know what game I'm talking about, I'm not planning on making it to that level of confusion. It's all going to be straight-forward with no weird plot turns or sudden 'jumps' in consciousness. In all honesty, that's way too hard to put into story format without confusing the heck out of you all or delving into the creation of a story similar to the television series known as "Lost"! Seriously, that show 'lost' me with all its twists.

So like I said at the beginning author's note, please don't forget to leave a review before moving onto the next story you want to read. They are always very helpful in letting me see how you all as the readers are responding to the chapters. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on this site everybody!


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